Presented herein are systems and methods that provide for fast image acquisition with a CCD camera for tomographic imaging by synchronizing illumination with the image acquisition sequence of the CCD camera. The systems and methods described herein allow images to be acquired with a CCD camera using short image acquisition times that would otherwise result in the introduction of severe artifacts into the acquired images. This unique capability is achieved by selectively illuminating the one or more object(s) to be imaged during specific phases of the CCD camera that are used to acquire an image. Reducing the time required to acquire artifact-free images in this manner allows for rapid imaging with a CCD camera. This capability is of particular relevance to tomographic imaging approaches, in which multiple images of one or more objects are acquired and used to produce a single tomographic image.